paint it, black
by yourwildheart
Summary: (Alternate storyline, takes place after s3.) A group of criminals. A cult. A previously unheard of private science center. A whole lot of disappearing people. Too many weird things happening. What is going on?
1. prologue

I see a red door and I want it painted black  
No colors anymore I want them to turn black  
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes

I have to turn my head until my darkness goes

I see a line of cars and they're all painted black  
With flowers and my love both never to come back  
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away  
Like a new born baby it just happens ev'ry day

I look inside myself and see my heart is black  
I see my red door I must have it painted black  
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts  
It's not easy facin' up, when your whole world is black

No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue  
I could not foresee this thing happening to you

If I look hard enough into the settin' sun  
My love will laugh with me before the mornin' comes


	2. chapter 1 : hide and seek

chapter one / hide and seek

november 1st, 8:52 pm

* * *

At a wooden dinner table in a room with beige walls and wood floors, a familiar group of people were sitting down and chatting away the night, either in pajamas or street clothes. P.I.X.A.L., Zane, Kai, Jay, Cole, and Lloyd were talking about everything and anything, passing the time before they all went off to bed, as it was nearing nine o'clock at night. Another seemingly boring day had gone by with little to no action, and most of the miniature missions that had been relayed to them were the equivalent to saving cats from trees and helping the elderly cross the street. It was a common theme nowadays: wake up, eat, do busy work, and sleep. Nya, who had been off in her room on the phone, walked into the dining room with a slight bit of urgency.

"Alright everyone, we have a new... er, "mission", to go on. It may seem like the rest of the stuff we've been given, but it could possibly turn into something much larger than suspected," she said, a hint of weariness in her voice. The boys looked at each other.

Kai furrowed his brows, and asked, "Well, what is it?"

"A few years ago, a string of kidnappings and disappearances of children and teenagers from the city took place. About twenty three went missing. It was a pretty high profile case back in the day. The police investigated it like hell, but to no avail, there were zero leads, zero witnesses, and zero trails to follow. It was pretty much like these kids just up and turned into thin air,"

"Oh, so the police are lazy and want us to pick up where they left off?" Cole scoffed.

"Not quite. They found a connection in a gang that's been making small heists from banks and stores around the city, and they think they could know what happened to these kids. Apparently one of the kids who disappeared strikes an insanely odd resemblance to one of the known gang members. The only thing is, this gang is on the rise and could be seriously dangerous. No one knows how big it is, or if they'd hurt someone. So far they have no known hiding place or leader. The only indicator is that they wear all black," Nya explained, while showing the group pictures the police had acquired of the clothing.

"Okay, this might actually be something... we could be fighting stuff again!" exclaimed Jay, popping out of his seat with joy.

"I'm in for it, we don't have much better to do, really." Lloyd said, a smile creeping across his face. Zane shook his head in agreement.

"Alright! It looks like we're all in," Nya said, smiling and beginning to walk back to her room.

"Not so fast," Kai said. Nya stopped, and all eyes fell on him. "I'm not so sure that this is a good idea. If we just keep taking any case the city can't solve, they'll rely on us too much for this little stuff, and soon enough we might as well just get our damn police badges and call it a day on the real important stuff,"

"Kai is right, but this sounds like something that has importance to it. This could be more than meets the eye," Zane said.

"I see where you're coming from, bro, but you're outnumbered here..." Nya laughed, picking up her phone and dialing the number of whatever investigator she had spoken to earlier.

"Hi, Mr. Matevosian! Great news, we're on board! We'll meet you guys tomorrow at your headquarters up in Ninjago City. Have a good night,"

Nya threw her phone on the couch, and sat down at the dining room table with the rest of the crew as they all began to chatter again. Talks of old missions, childhood stories, and funny inside jokes filled the room. The house they were given by the city was a pretty nice one, and the dining room and living room were the most well enjoyed spaces in the house. All had their own rooms, excluding Jay and Nya, who shared a room, the same going for P.I.X.A.L. and Zane. The house was a good size, and suited the group well.

Soon enough, it was close to eleven o'clock, and by that time Jay and Nya were already off asleep, and Zane and P.I.X.A.L. were powered down for the night. The only ones left awake were Lloyd, Cole, and Kai. Cole stood up and stretched.

"Alright, well, I'm gonna go to my room. Maybe we'll have some shit to actually do tomorrow-"

"Doubt it, though it's something to pass the time before some big inevitable mission pops up." Kai said, shrugging his shoulders. Lloyd shook his head.

"I dunno Kai, I think we might have something legitimate in this."

"Well, that's your opinion, Lloyd," Kai said, chuckling a bit. Cole waved them off, and walked upstairs to his room.

"So who was Nya on the phone with...?"

"Not sure, just because she's my sister doesn't mean that I know everything that happens in her life. My best guess is some higher up from the Ninjago City police force. Maybe some government dude."

Lloyd nodded, and then stood up. "I think I'm gonna go to bed now. Have a good night, Kai."

"Yeah, me too. Night dude."

Lloyd walked up the stairs, and Kai pulled out his phone from his jean pocket, scrolling aimlessly a bit on social media. Not much happened anymore, and while that was nice at first, it began to eat away at Kai. The idea of possibly having a mission and a reason to jump back into his suit with this best friends made his heart skip a beat, but he didn't want to get his hopes up just in case this would be another false mini mission. He eventually got tired of this, and went to his room. His room, the first door you see when you come up the stairs, had red walls, of course, and the same wooden flooring that covered the rest of the house. A few old trinkets and memories spread across his shelves, and there was a dark colored wooden dresser leaning against the wall. In the middle of the room was a large bed with red sheets and pillows. Original, right? His head hit the pillow, and he sighed, wondering when the next chance for excitement would be.

* * *

november 2nd, 8:07 am

* * *

The smell of freshly cooked bacon, eggs, and waffles filled the house as the group began to slowly awaken from their slumber. Nya, Jay, and Zane were in the kitchen cooking breakfast, and they were pretty good at it. One by one, the group made their way down the stairs, which was in a hallway connecting to the kitchen, dining room, and living room, in an open floor plan. In the living room, there was a door with stairs leading to the basement. Everyone grabbed their food and sat down at the table, eating and groggily talking between sips of coffee, tea, and orange juice.

"Alright guys, right now it's only eight, but in a few hours we have to be on the other side of town on first street for our official meeting with Mr. Matevosian and his directors!" Nya declared, taking a sip of her tea.

"Okay, _who_ is this dude? You keep mentioning him!" Jay said, a tinge of jealousy in his voice.

"He's a guy who works for this subdivision of a private science group, what he works for is called the Crime Investigation Unit. Basically, he's handed cases certain police forces can't handle or have abandoned, and he relocates them to a group who can."

"I've never heard of them before, but that's pretty sick that we're considered able to handle that type of stuff." Lloyd said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Cole squinted his eyes, "Yeah... but why haven't we heard of them before? Shouldn't they have talked to us about this before putting us on a list? Especially of this caliber?"

"They said it's new. I don't know, I didn't think of it like that." Nya sighed, pondering.

"I say we still go, this sounds legit and I don't really want to miss out on stuff anymore," Kai said. Everyone turned to him, confused, as he was the only one against it the previous night.

"I know, I know, I changed my mind, that happens to people, you know."

"Alright wise ass, go get actual clothes on and we all can meet down here and head out." Nya teased, everyone stifling their laughter. The group filed into their rooms, changing and getting themselves ready for the day. After about fifteen minutes, they headed out into the city. It was a short drive, but felt like it took eternities.

"Alright, this is it!" Nya said, pointing to a large, white building with "Alpha Laboratory & Testing Center" on a sign sitting on a corner lot.

"That toooootally doesn't look sketchy..." Jay trailed off, hopping out of the car and following his girlfriend towards the building. The friends were greeted at the front by an average sized man who had sunken eyes and tanned skin, wearing a gray suit, and clutching a set of pamphlets. He had short, choppy hair, and looked to be in his late 20s. He smiled, and began to speak.

"Good morning! My name is Vardan Matevosian. I'm a recruiter and a specialist here at Alpha. Welcome," Vardan opened the double doors, showing a hospital-like interior with white tile flooring and white walls. People, presumably nurses and doctors, were rushing around patients from room to room.

"This is a whole lotta white.." Cole whispered to Kai, quietly. Vardan led them down the hallway, to the left, and through a set of locked doors where he had to scan his face to get inside. Zane and Nya whispered about the technological advances they were subtly being shown with awe. The room was smaller, sort of dark, and smelled of an absurd amount of bleaching and cleaning supplies. There were about 10 chairs against the back wall, and a set of cabinets. There was an examination table in the middle of the room, and on the wall there was a window that went into another room. The other room was very brightly lit, and there was another examination table in it. There were maintenance workers cleaning it.

"Welcome to the CIU, also known as the Crime Investigation Unit. Here at Alpha, we use our prime and top notch new technology to solve what the government and what the police force cannot. We picked up the case of the rising and possibly powerful gang recently, and we have made the decision to invite the ninja and whoever else they may need to take them down, and take them into custody where they will then be turned in to the police. Basically, we take down the bad guys that no one else can," Vardan shuffled around the dimly lit room, pulling a remote out of one of the cabinet drawers, guiding the ninja to the chairs. He pressed a button on it, and a television lowered down from the ceiling. He pressed a button, and a television lowered down from the ceiling, a slideshow beginning.

"Let me first introduce you to our two CIU agents, agent Abraham and agent Dibra," An older man, possibly in his 60s, walked in, wearing a suit. What little hair he had left was gray, and his chubby and pale face was covered with freckles, sun spots, and aging spots. His sky blue eyes darted, scanning the new faces. Following him was a young woman with dark brown hair down to her chest parted in the middle, who looked to be in her mid 20s. She had pale skin, and dark brown eyes. When they walked into the room, the atmosphere changed to an off putting one.

"Agent Dibra and agent Abraham have worked very hard in putting together this case, so thank them when you have a chance. Anyways, back to the original topic. A few years back, as you probably have already heard, a large amount of children and teenagers in the area went missing. They were presumed dead until just recently. We think this new faction, or cult, or gang, or whatever, is keeping them hostage or training them."

"What _is_ the connection?" asked Kai.

"Good question. I was just getting to that. Agent Dibra saw one of the missing children with them a few days ago, causing us to acquire the case and reopen it privately. We saw them with a young man identified as Drake Cristiano Rodriguez, son of Helena and Damian Rodriguez, who went missing when he was twelve. He is now twenty years old. Drake and his two sisters were among the missing children, which leads us to believe that this group captured those missing children to force them to become a second wave of their group." Vardan explained, using a laser pointer to point out the picture used when Drake went missing, to the picture that agent Dibra must have taken recently.

"We managed to take Drake into our custody. He's in another room, and we are currently questioning him. So far, all we know is that there is a scheduled heist for tomorrow that could help us locate the rest of the missing children. When you do, call us, and we will take them into our custody. And please keep the utmost efficiency in finding them; we don't want this to turn into some elaborate game of hide and seek. We will outline plans later, after lunch."

"Aw sick, you're feeding us?" Jay asked, hopefully.

"Yes, of course. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to meet with us!" Vardan said calmly, smiling at them.

"Now if you'll excuse us... Dibra, Abraham, a word." Vardan said, his demeanor immediately switching to one of slight anger and starkness. The two agents showed the ninja the door, and then shut and locked it.

"Okay, well, the cafeteria is right down the hall, according to this sign, so let's just go eat for now," Lloyd said, pointing to the sign, and then down the hall.

* * *

"I hope you've enjoyed your lunch," said Vardan, meeting the ninja back at the room they first met in, "Because we have some planning to do."

Vardan pulled out a piece of paper, and a map of the city.

"This," he said, circling a jewelry shop, "is supposedly the next heist for these little criminals. We're asking you to stake out in the alleyway next to it tomorrow night capture at least a few of these punks. Cuff them with the hand cuffs we will supply you, and grab as many as you can. Anything you need to pull this off, ask for, and we will supply it."

Cole picked up the map, looking at it closely, and said, "That's all? We just take them to you and that's it?"

"Precisely. Now, do know that there is a payoff for this. We're offering you two hundred dollars each, per person you find," Vardan said, as everyone in the group's eyes collectively widened.

"I want you all to meet the genius behind this entire organization: Doctor Alexandre Palomer," Vardan said, and the man he was referring to walked in. He was wearing a suit, and was on the heavier side. He had curly dark gray hair, a large nose, peach colored skin, and a smiling face.

"Welcome to Alpha! Thank you so much for your help. I have lots of business to get back to, but it was nice at least meeting you for a short amount of time. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please relay them to Vardan. I'm a busy man. Thank you, again," he said, with a booming and large voice that seemed to fill the entire room. The ninja looked around at each other, as it was a very short and odd introduction.

"Alright, well, we'll give you all the supplies you need, and we'll see you tomorrow night with a few of our lovely criminals!" Vardan said, smiling.

* * *

november 3rd, 9:34 pm

* * *

"It's been a freaking hour! Are you sure this wasn't some stupid prank?" Jay whispered, hiding inside of a garbage can. The ninja were in an alley next to Ricardo's Jeweler's, the projected site of the next heist.

"Judging by that building, that would be an expensive prank, you trash bag," teased Cole, chuckling at his own joke from behind an old broken chair that someone must have thrown out.

"Hey, that's not fair, I didn't choose to be here, you all made me because you thought it was funny, which I do not find it to b-"

"SSSHHH, I hear someone coming!" Kai said quietly, hiding behind a dumpster. An old man walked by, and turned the corner to the opposite side the jeweler was on.

"...Was that our guy..?" Jay asked, popping his head from the garbage can. Zane and Lloyd peered out from their recycling cans, and Nya looked out from an old discarded potted plant.

"Nope, I think I am." said a voice from further down the alley, in the dark. From the dark emerged a guy who couldn't be more than 17, wearing the black garb that the ninja were warned of. The man wore a ski mask, and he was carrying a knife. Behind him were three other people in the same garb. The ninja sprung into action, but after a sudden combustion, fire surrounded the four individuals, and they sped off into the jewelry store.

"What the _hell_ was that?" Cole yelled, running with the group to the inside of the jewelry store, which was now blaring with sirens and alarms. The four were inside, grabbing as many precious jewelry and stones as they could. As soon as the ninja came close to them, they sped to the back. The ninja followed, but they were too late, as the back door was wide open, and the four were no where to be seen.

"How did... what the hell is going on?" Kai said, with a bewildered look on his face.

"They... how did they... fire?" Nya questioned, looking around for the four.

Zane surveyed the area too, and said, "This is odd. Do you think these individuals harbor powers?"

"I think they may. And I think we ended up being right: this is a lot more than we thought it would be," Lloyd said, taking off his mask and looking at his fellow ninja.


End file.
